Episodes
Jan. 25, 2018
Summer Series: Internships; Your Finance and Admissions Questions
This week in the Summer Program series: internships. These can be a great way to investigate a variety of careers, and we’ll talk through how to find them! We’ll also answer your college finance and admissions questions.
Jan. 18, 2018
Summer Series: Writing; Fordham Admissions; 529 vs Prepaid Plans
If you’re trying to decide between saving for college in a 529 plan or a prepaid tuition plan, this is the show for you. We’ll look at the differences between them and offer suggestions for deciding which is the right one for...
Jan. 11, 2018
Summer Series: STEM; Helping Students Manage Money; Office Hours
Introducing a new Getting In series: Summer Programs! We’re kicking off the inaugural episode with a focus on summer programs for students interested in STEM. Tune in to learn more about what to look for and how to find math,...
Jan. 4, 2018
Early Action Results; What's An Award Letter; 2018 Resolutions
Early action results are coming in, and we have some insight into the trends we seeing at places like Stanford, Harvard, and other highly selective schools, as well as some of the publics like Michigan. Wondering what is in a...
Dec. 28, 2017
Improving Chances via Gap Years; Office Hours: Listener Questions
Students who are turned down by their first choice college sometimes hatch a plan to take a gap year and reapply in the hopes of a different decision. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of this approach. In Office Hours, we’ll b...
Dec. 21, 2017
Deferral Next Steps; Summer Programs; Controlling College Costs
You were deferred. Wondering what to do next? We’ve got you covered in this week’s Office Hours, when we discuss next steps for deferred students. We’ll also be talking about summer programs to consider, and how you can actua...
Dec. 14, 2017
MBA Expectations; Saving Tips for Late Starters; Columbia Essays
If you have aspirations of earning an MBA, you know that leadership is important. But do you know what constitutes good leadership experience from a business school admissions perspective? A former Wharton graduation admissio...
Dec. 7, 2017
Colleges That Change Lives; St. Olaf Financial Aid; Early Results
If there was a group of colleges focused on a personalized, student-focused college experience, would you be interested? Well Colleges That Change Lives is that group, and executive director Maria Furtado joins us to share mo...
Nov. 30, 2017
Regular Decision College Lists; Finance and Admissions Questions
Regular decision deadlines are approaching. This next set of deadlines is important for both students getting a later start—it’s certainly not too late!—and for students who submitted one or more applications in the early rou...
Nov. 16, 2017
Senior Year Grades; Net Price Calculators; USC Essays
Net price calculators are an important part of figuring out if a college is a good fit—it doesn’t make sense to consider a school if you can’t afford it without going into debt. We’ll help you understand how net price calcula...
Nov. 9, 2017
FAFSA and CSS Profile: After You Submit; Honors Colleges; UVA Essay
Curious about what happens to your FAFSA and/or CSS Profile once you press submit? We’ll take you behind the scenes in this week’s show and offer some insight into what goes on once your application has been received. We’ll a...
Nov. 2, 2017
Standing Out: Major; Lehigh and Lafayette Essays; the CSS Profile
Over the past few weeks, we’ve been going through the different ways in which students can stand out in competitive college applicant pools. In our latest installment of the Standing Out series, we cover the impact of college...
Oct. 26, 2017
Standing Out: Where to Apply; Office Hours: Listener Questions
Our latest in the Standing Out series looks at how the choice of where to apply to college can be a big factor in helping students stand out in the applicant pool. We’re relying on you for this week’s Office Hours—it’s all ab...
Oct. 19, 2017
Standing Out: Extracurriculars; FAFSA; Submitting Applications
You’re working on the FAFSA and you have questions. You’re in luck, because we have answers! Tune in to this week’s show for information on completing the FAFSA. In the second in our Standing Out series, we’ll tackle extracur...
Oct. 12, 2017
How to Stand Out; Should I File the FAFSA?; Standardized Tests
One of the most common listener questions we receive is, “How can my son/daughter stand out in the application process?” This week, we’re introducing the Standing Out series to try to get at some answers to this elusive quest...
Oct. 5, 2017
Office Hours: UC Essays; Scholarships with Fall Deadlines
The University of California system has its own application that takes a slightly different approach than the Common Application. Instead of one primary essay, the UC app offers eight prompts for students to choose from when ...
Sept. 28, 2017
Bad Essay Ideas; Princeton Supplemental Essays; Finance Questions
Working on an essay and wondering if your idea is a good one? Take a listen to an all-new segment on terrible college essay ideas that we’ve encountered in our years of reading tens of thousands of these. We’ll answer your co...
Sept. 21, 2017
Harvard Admissions; Health Professions Degrees; ApplyTexas Essays
Struggling with your Apply Texas application essays? Look no further—we’ve got tips and suggestions for approaching these in this week’s Office Hours segment. We’ll also go inside the Harvard admissions office with a College ...
Sept. 14, 2017
Admissions Myths; Office Hours; Inside BU's Financial Aid Office
There are few phrases more common in college admissions than, “I heard that…”Most of what follows will be half-truths, innuendo, or information that is flat out wrong. In this week’s show, we’ll talk through the myths and rea...
Sept. 7, 2017
Office Hours: Writing the Why This College Essay; Tools to Do You
The Why This College Essay is one of the most important elements of any application that requires it. Tune in for tips on how to craft the best version possible. Paying for college is almost always as important as getting in,...
Aug. 31, 2017
Office Hours: The University of California Application;
In this week’s Office Hours segment, we’ll be exploring the University of California application. In another installment of Inside the Admissions Office, we’ll look at how admissions are done at American University. Finally, ...
Aug. 24, 2017
Cost of Applying to College; Exploring the Apply Texas Application
We often focus on the cost of college, but rarely do we think about the costs associated with applying to college. This week’s episode takes listeners through what to expect and budget for as they prepare to submit applicatio...
Aug. 17, 2017
Things to Know About the 2017-2018 Common Application; Office Hours
The new Common Application was released on August 1, and we’ve got information you need to know about this new version. While we’re sure you’ve spent lots of time focusing on the big spends related to college, like tuition an...
Aug. 10, 2017
Office Hours: Starting the College Essay; Inside the Admissions Office
Students about to start senior year will want to catch this week’s Office Hours, in which we discuss getting started on the college essay. We know it’s weighing on your mind, so stop thinking about it and start writing it! In...